Juxtaposition
by Thoughts in Chaos
Summary: Freelance photographer, Ryan Monroe, is offered a full time gig working for the WWE. Deciding to give it a shot she soon finds herself the focus of attention of both Claudio Castagnoli and Jon Good. Between the demands of her new job and each man having his own agenda, will the pressure prove to be too much for the introverted shutter-bug? Cesaro/OC/Ambrose #ReviewingIsKindness.
1. Chapter 1

_November 19th, 2013._

"I've said it once and I'll say it again. These are some great shots, Ryan. You're starting to make the other shutter bugs jealous with how much of your work we end up using."

"I try."

"Making them jealous, or getting the best shots?"

"Both."

The straightforward and honest answer elicited a small laugh from WWE's Photo Director, Christine Reilly, "You're not secretly aiming for my job, are you?"

"God no, I like it just fine where I am, thank you. You're about as high up the food chain that I'm willing to be responsible answering to."

Christine ran an experienced eye over several shots from the last Raw event; a tag match between The Shield, Cody Rhodes and Goldust, another between Kofi Kingston and The Miz, the Divas, the main event of Orton and Bryan, and lastly the man whom she suspected was fast becoming Ryan's favourite subject to capture through the lens; Antonio Cesaro. This wasn't to say her other work was sub-par in comparison, far from it, but there always seemed to be just that little something more whenever the Swede was caught in the photographic cross-hairs.

"Anything else you need, Chris?"

The director was broken out of her musings as she bought her attention back to the freelancer. There was actually, those above her in the corporate food chain were insisting that she hire Ryan Monroe on a full time basis. It was easier said than done, however, and Christine thought she might have an easier time herding cats.

"Indeed there is," she answered, "I want to give you a job."

"Already? I thought you had your freelancers set for the next few weeks at least."

"Not as a casual," Chris clarified, "Full time. Exclusive to the WWE."

She watched intently as Ryan's face twisted into something reflecting major reluctance; it was pretty much the response she had guessed on. It wasn't just that Ryan liked having complete control over which jobs she threw her name in for, and usually got, but it was more the aspect of anonymity. The photojournalist had blending into the background down to an art form despite being mere feet from the action, and if you were to ask anyone -whether it be crew, talent or production- most would be hard pressed to put a face to the name. It was about as close to being invisible as a person could get and for whatever reason it was the way she preferred it.

"Come on, Ryan, how long have we known each other?" A small, somewhat devious smile crept over her face as she picked up a print of Cesaro having just launched Zack Ryder high into the air and ready to connect with his signature European Uppercut, "I'll make sure you can work all of his matches... _and_ his photo shoots."

There it was, not quite as prominent as she had hoped but there was a glimmer of interest lurking in those eyes.

"Come on, you do so much work for us already. Why not take all the benefits that come with it?"

"Will I get 401K?"

"Yes."

"What about travel expenses?"

Christine began to answer what turned out to be a thorough questioning of just about every aspect Monroe's potential job would entail, both from what was expected of her and what she could expect from the company in return. After about an hour Ryan sat in a chair on the opposite side of the large desk in contemplation for several minutes and Chris could almost imagine the sound of mental gears turning.

"Alright, but I want one thing," she paused a moment, wondering if the stipulation might be going to far, "The photos are still my property to use as I see fit whether I'm working under the company banner or not."

That was kind of ballsy, Monroe was taking a calculated gamble and they both knew it. The WWE got a little cagey over things like that; corporate paranoia at its finest.

"I'm going to have to look into the ownership issue before I can commit," Reilly answered, relieved to see that this didn't look like it was going to be a problem with the photographer.

"Fair enough. Get back to me when you can." She stood up from her seat and reached over the table for a quick handshake, "In the mean time I have a few muscle cars and body builders to shoot."

* * *

_December 2nd, 2013._

Claudio Castagnoli, better known to the Universe as Antonio Cesaro, sat way up in the cheap seats watching the centre of the arena below. He liked it up here, he could usually get a bit of time to himself for some peace and quiet and it never failed to give him perspective as the people down below looked like they were barely bigger than ants as they moved around, the teams of crew members putting the stage for the Superstars to perform on together. He could imagine what it would be like for a fan, so far away from the action that you could barely see anything unless you watched that monolithic screen but still be seized by the excitement one could only get by attending a live event, whether it be a house show, a live Raw broadcast or Smackdown taping.

His musings were interrupted by the soft click of a button and he turned to his left, finding a woman with a camera standing barely ten feet away at the top of the stares, her attention focused on the happenings below as his had been. She seemed to be oblivious to his presence as she took a few more shots, occasionally fiddling around with the settings on the Nikkon, before she was satisfied.

"Quite the view, isn't it?"

He couldn't help the small grin as the woman jumped at his sudden question. He thought she had just been pretending not to notice him for the sake of not interrupting his quiet time but apparently this was not the case.

"I guess you could say that," she replied after quickly regaining her composure, "Though you'd practically need the Hubble telescope to see what's actually going on down there."

He was mildly intrigued at the sound of an accent while his eyes darted down to the plastic ID card that dangled from the end of a lanyard embossed with the company logo all over it to find her name; Ryan Monroe. Different. He had heard that name before, he was sure of it, then it clicked.

"You're the new photographer they hired, aren't you?"

What gave it away?" she asked with a slight edge of playful sarcasm while holding up the camera, but the small smile took any malice out of the statement, "News travels fast around here."

He shrugged, "Need to fill in the down time somehow, so gossip usually becomes a popular pastime."

The conversation was interrupted by the small radio clipped to the back of her belt, one of the rigging crews needing some help with setting up the TV lights. After telling them she'd be down there in a couple of minutes she turned back to the wrestler, "I better get moving, no rest for the wicked."

He smirked, for some reason the seemingly innocent phrase took his mind into the gutter, "And just how wicked could you possibly be, Miss Monroe?"

"That's something for me to know, Mister Castagnoli."

Catching his expression through the lens and quickly snapping a picture, she turned and left before he could say anything else. He watched her until she disappeared, decidedly enjoying the small few minutes with the new photographer. _And_ she hadn't mangled the pronunciation of his last name! She was kind of cute too and apparently had no issues with flirting. The idea that such a seemingly innocent looking woman could be anything but had his imagination not just falling in the gutter, but thoroughly rolling around in it. He couldn't help it, try as he might.

_Perhaps I might have to find out_...

* * *

_January 7th, 2014._

The weeks passed faster than she thought they would, Ryan finding herself wearing a few other hats in addition to the one of photographer. It was both challenging but fun, especially when she got to climb all over the trusses to assist in adjusting the lights. The task called to her love of heights; the higher she could get the happier she was. While her ability to blend in to the background had remained largely intact for the first fortnight or so it seemed as if she had inadvertently put herself on Claudio's radar after their first meeting. It wasn't a bad thing; he was very charming and sweet, plus there was no way that Ryan would lie to herself by saying he wasn't easy on the eyes, but at the same time the unexpected attention was a little... weird. Old and persistent hang-ups were hard to shake, apparently.

"How long are you intending to hang around up there? You never wear a skirt, so it's kind of disappointing."

Of course where one started showing an interest others were sure to follow, such was the case with one of the two of the men standing below. It kind of weirded her out even more, though she was good at shielding such things behind well worn armour comprised of dry, slightly twisted humour and and edge of sarcasm. She knew she didn't look like she had been beaten with a bag of bricks, but compared to the sort of women these guys could pull without even trying... why would they waste their time?

_Don't go there..._

His friend half heartedly punched his arm for the crass comment to which he received one in return and they started going back and forth, carrying on like a pair over-active ten year olds as Ryan clambered down the framework.

"About time you got your ass back down here."

"And deny myself your... unique company, Jon? Heaven forbid that ever happens."

"I know, I know, you'd be absolutely heart broken. Happens to all the ladies."

"Modest, aren't we?" She turned her attention to the second man, gesturing with her thumb at the US Champion, "How in the hell do you put up with that on an almost full time basis, Colby?"

"It helps that I don't lack a penis for a start, curbs his enthusiasm somewhat," he replied with a grin, laughing a little when she rolled her eyes.

"Right, I'll grab my cameras so we can get this shoot done and Good can go back to harassing the Divas."

"Come on, don't act that you don't like it," Jon said as he suddenly put her in a mock sleeper hold, feeling the slight tensing of her frame as he pulled her back firmly against his chest. He'd done this a couple of times by now while they horsed around but never failed to get that subtle but anxious response. Not that it dissuaded him from touching her somehow, for some reason he got a kick out the reaction. He idly wondered what the cause of it was, but at the same time was curious with how far he could push his luck. Leaning in he spoke softly into her ear so Lopez couldn't overhear, "Maybe you should spend the next free weekend in Vegas with me. I promise you won't be so nervous by the end of it."

She managed to turn her head and look at him, if he had rattled her cage she was doing a good job of hiding it.

"Can you hear that?"

Jon looked around a little, slightly confused at what he was supposed to be listening to, "Hear what?"

"The cry of a million fan girls screaming jealously in unison," she answered, "Now get your meaty paws off me so I can get my gear."

"Nope, we're just gonna have to walk around like this for the rest of the day."

With a resigned sigh Ryan began the slightly awkward trek to retrieve her cameras with a two hundred and twenty-five pound man hanging around her neck who simply smirked at whoever they passed and gave the pair a somewhat odd look. Why he had this fascination with putting her into some weird mock wrestling hold all the time was beyond her. Maybe it was because she wasn't part of the 'talent' and he could thus get away with it, even if she were to suddenly become a thin skinned bitch and lodge a complaint about some form of harassment. In the end she mentally shrugged; she'd put up with it so long as he didn't actually start getting touchy feely, Ryan was unsure if she would be able to handle that without doing a spot on impersonation of a lamp post.

"You're an arse-hat."

"It's _ass_-hat, Honey. Try and get the pronunciation right."

"Ass-hat? So you're a hat for a mule? How does that even work?"

"Well how does a hat for an arse work?"

Ryan didn't have an answer for that and merely glanced over at Colby, who looked like he was entirely too amused by this bizarre scene, "Will you please get him off me?"

"I don't know," he replied slowly, sounding like it would be a cold hearted thing to do while tilting his head to one side, "It is strangely adorable."

"Ugh, you're both _ass_-hats. Next time I'm palming this job off to Eric. Maybe I can trade him you guys for the Usos, at least those boys have manners."

"And after I decided to be nice and get your gear for you? That hurts."

The third and final member of The Shield showed up, carrying a large black bag under his arm. Joe Anoa'i put the bag down on a nearby equipment trunk and opened it up, taking out the first camera he saw with a grin. An extra two hundred odd pounds or not, Ryan all but dragged Jon along as she made a grab for the lens, messing up the intentioned shot as the sound effect for the shutter went off. It surprised the three men and Jon slowly let her go; he could have sworn her relief at being released almost seemed palpable. Ryan quickly deleted the lopsided shot, the majority of it being her outstretched hand with fingers splayed, then double checked the settings. Satisfied she zipped up the bag and slung the strap over her shoulder before marching down the hall to where she was supposed to take the first round of shots of the boys. Colby shared a confused look with the other two, voicing the question that all three of them were thinking.

"What the hell was that all about?"


	2. Chapter 2

It was past one am but still Ryan couldn't sleep, so she decided to get to work on all the photos she had taken throughout the day and during the show, deciding which ones to keep and forward submit tot he office and which ones didn't quite make the grade. While trying to decide which one of three different shots of Randy Orton suspended in the air for the RKO to keep she couldn't help but be drawn back to the bald proposition Jon had murmured into her ear; was he serious? Somehow she doubted it, she was well aware that he had picked up on how she would tense up and guessed he was only doing it to provoke some sort of response.

Besides, the way she had lunged at Joe when he decided to take her picture and the consequential strange looks they had all been eyeing her off with during the shoot made her just want to under the nearest rock. Stupid ingrained reaction, she wondered how long it was going to take to make some sort of idiot out of herself.

_Four weeks, that must be some sort of record._

There was a reason she had ended up deciding on a career where she was in control of the camera, mainly so she never had to be in front of it. As far as Ryan was concerned if there was any reasonable way to scrub all photographic evidence of her existence she would be a very happy camper indeed. The only person she allowed to take her picture was her mother and even that was like pulling teeth. A soft knock on the door interrupted her train of thought, so putting the large notebook to one side she got up, assuming it was her indulgence of late night room service.

While it certainly was an indulgence, it was most definitely not room service.

Claudio couldn't help the small smile at her surprised expression peeking out of the oversized black hooded sweater she wore to his unexpected late night visit. He had somehow ended up with the room next door and after listening to the muted music that had struggled to get through the wall for almost two hours had decided that if he couldn't sleep either he may as well be social.

"You have the most random taste in music I've heard in a while."

It took a second for it to click what he was talking about, the reasonable volume taming the tail end of Digital Summer's _Counting The Hours_ and had then continued onto The Pogues' _A Pistol For Paddy Garcia_. It had been bouncing back and forth between rock, folk, and everything in between since it started.

"Oh hell, sorry about that. I can turn it down if it's bothering you."

He had to admit it to himself, he loved her strange accent. It sounded vaguely familiar but was losing ground and slowly becoming Americanised, making him wonder just how long she had been Stateside for and where she was from, "No, it's fine. I couldn't sleep anyway, so I thought I'd see if you wanted any company."

"If you don't mind that I work at the same time, sure."

Ryan stood to one side and opened the door properly so he could come inside and sat back on the bed. He took a place beside her, watching as she fiddled with Randy's image in Photoshop, cleaning up small and minute imperfections that he doubted he would have even noticed if he hadn't seen the process at work.

"How long does something like this usually take?"

"Depends on how many images I've taken, then deciding which ones I want to submit to the office," she replied, zooming in on a particular spot, "It gets tedious at times, but it's part and parcel of the job. Beats not being paid at any rate."

"But why Photoshop them at all? I don't think it really needs it."

"Think of it as... digital cosmetics. When used properly it's there to just hide all the small flaws and imperfections, not completely change how you look from head to toe." Saving the work she had done so far Ryan pulled up the original file, then lined the two images up side by side. The pointer on-screen flitted over the unedited picture as she started pointing out other small problems with why it would never potentially get published and just how clean the edited image looked in comparison. He quizzed here here and there about certain things mainly just so he could get her to talk, the conversation eventually turning from her work to whatever small, random things popped up organically before there was a second knock.

"Expecting someone?"

"Just my snack," she replied, closing the program and putting the laptop down so she could get up and answer the door. She was starting to wonder if they were making bread from scratch in the kitchen, all she wanted was a sandwich.

And what was it with people in this building and not sleeping?

"Jon?"

"The one and only."

His trademark smirk was firmly in place as he leaned up against the door frame smelling faintly of cigarette smoke and beer mixed with his cologne, tell tail signs of a good night out with the boys. While he wasn't completely drunk it was obvious he wasn't exactly sober either; pleasantly buzzed if she had to guess.

"Anyone ever tell you just how adorably tiny you are?" he asked after a moment of observation.

Ryan had been called many things in her life so far but tiny was definitely not among them, "I am not, you're just really big."

His grin got down right wicked at the unintentional double entendre, "I can show just how big if you like, I guarantee you won't be disappointed." He leaned forward, face inches from her own; the way he was looking at her was almost predatory and she couldn't help but fidget under the intensity of his gaze, "Relax, I'm not gonna bite. Not unless you want me to... I would just really _love_ to help you get over your anxiety issues, Sweetheart."

He was fucking with her, Ryan was positive of it; he was just bored and inebriated so there was no way he actually meant it. Even on the off chance he did she knew she was too much of a coward to go through with it, no matter how handsome he was. Dressed in faded jeans that did nothing to hide the firm muscle of his thighs and a snug fitting shirt doing much the same for his chest under a black leather jacket, the term handsome seemed to be such an insufficient word right now. Lethal weapon would probably be more appropriate.

"Such tact. How do women manage to resist you with lines like that?"

Jon's eyes darted over the photographer's shoulder, if he was surprised by the other man's presence he didn't show it. Neither man looked impressed with the appearance of the other, feeling as if each was poaching on territory that wasn't his. He glanced from one to the other, Ryan looking decidedly like if she could crawl out of her own skin to get away from the rising tension she would have without a second thought. He filed the tidbit away for later, positive that the knowledge could come in handy somewhere down the line.

"I see you already have company. I'll leave you two kids alone." He straightened back up to his full height, throwing one last expression at Castagnoli that she didn't quite get, before flashing her that smouldering smirk one last time, "Sweet dreams, Honey."

The relaxed atmosphere now thoroughly in tatters, discretion seemed the better part of valour so Claudio decided to retreat for the time being as well. He tried to be as warm, relaxed and as laid back as he could; the complete opposite of Jon's overt, obvious and somewhat aggressive attitude in the hunt.

"Good night, Ryan. Perhaps we can do this again sometime. Without the interruption of course."

"That would be nice," she replied, offering up a small smile, "Good night, Claudio."

Closing the door and locking it she slowly sank to the floor, pulling the large hood over her head in an attempt to hide as she sighed heavily. That had been beyond awkward. Thank god she got to go home tomorrow, some time to decompress sounded like just what the doctor ordered.

* * *

Venice, California.

Ryan loved it here, there always seemed to be something going on, even in the middle of winter. She had tried to live further north when she first immigrated, but snowy winters were a little too much for someone who was too adjusted to having January ablaze with sweltering heat reaching an average of a hundred degrees or more for days on end. Even with the chill coming off the world famous stretch of beach it was still rather mild.

A somewhat old Pontiac Firebird pulled up in front of a small apartment block that sat along Speedway and Ocean Front Walk. She lucked out when she found the place as it was in dire need of repair so she had managed to come to an arrangement with the land lord, she would get a generous discount on rent if she gave a hand with fixing the damage; not having a problem with a bit of manual labour she jumped at the offer. She trekked up several flights of stairs before finally reaching the top to find a huge black and white tom cat waiting by the door. While she fiddled with the keys he wound himself between her legs, purring loud enough to give any engine a run for its money before giving voice to a rather loud meow.

"Impatient, aren't you?"

He simply meowed again, trotting through the door as soon as it opened. Leaving the suitcase by the small sofa and her camera bag on an accompanying armchair Ryan wandered into the kitchen; she never did end up getting her sandwich and was now well and truly starving. There wasn't much in the way of options that didn't involve cooking before finding something to scrape together, as well as a small tin of tuna. She got about half way through her food while the feline scoffed down his fish then sat on the opposite side of the small table and watched her with contented yellow eyes. She didn't actually own him, he was a stray that had adopted her the day she had been able to move in and since decided to stay. Because of his size, colour and attitude she ended up calling him Horse, named after a cat whom he very much resembled from an old New Zealand comic.

Eventually he got bored and decided to go sleep off his breakfast. Finally within the walls of her little sanctuary Ryan began to relax after what had been the most bizarre twenty four hours she had gone through in a while. She was determined not to think about it, unable to sleep more than a few hours before having to leave to catch her flight home she just wanted to sleep. Where better to get some decent shut eye than her own bed? Doing away with clothing until left in nothing but panties and a tank top Ryan curled up in the centre of the large, comfy mattress. Falling asleep was easy enough, but soon her dreams took on the shape of a wickedly handsome man with cool blue eyes and carnal promises.

She woke up feeling hot and bothered, frustrated with the idea that Jon was apparently getting under her skin so easily. Glancing over at the nearby alarm clock it read that only three hours had passed but she hauled herself out of bed anyway, the day was too nice to waste. After a shower and a fresh change of clothes she rummaged around in her closet to pull out a pair of inline skates and wrist guards. Before long she was rolling along The Boardwalk at a casual pace, taking in the sights and sounds that was unique to this little slice of surf and sand, eventually ending up at Muscle Beach.

It wasn't long before she was spotted by a veritable mountain of a man. He was older, somewhere in his early fifties and just shy of seven feet tall, his skin the colour of dark chocolate and completely flawless. He flashed her a quick smile that reach onyx coloured eyes before returning his attention to the rest of his work out. When he was finally done he wiped the sweat from his face with a towel then slung it around his neck before picking up a pack and joining her on the bench she was sitting on. When he spoke his voice was deep and carried a certain power with it, something that reminded her of James Earl Jones or Michael Clarke Duncan.

"Well if it isn't my favourite little lady. No camera today?"

"Nope, purely down here for a straight out perve."

"You're going to get all the young guys worked up if they figure it out now."

"Well it's a good thing I have you to chase them off then, Lou."

He chuckled, reminded of the time he had to step in the first time she was down here and some ass-clown had decided to get out of line when he couldn't keep up with her wise cracks and sarcasm in the verbal spar he had gotten himself into. She was a strange one; quiet and damn near invisible when she could get away with it, but if backed into a corner with no way out she had quite the temper hiding deep underneath. He had only seen it that once and it hadn't surfaced since, mainly because everyone knew the general rule was if they wanted a piece of her they had to get through him first to do it. It had resulted in striking up a friendship between the pair which was something Ryan was grateful for, having just moved into the area and not knowing a soul at the time.

"So how's the new job of yours?"

"Different. A little challenging, but fun over all."

"I bet." He shot her a sly grin, "All those young studs hanging around, I think you'll soon forget us all down here while you're running around the country taking pictures of them all."

"They can never hold a candle to you, Lou. You're the studliest man there is."

"I know you have feelings for me, but unfortunately we can ever be."

"I know, and it's devastating." she replied with a remorseful sigh, "It's that Mike isn't it? He'll never let us be together."

"Well there is that," he agreed solemnly, "And the small issue that I'm completely immune to your feminine charms, my dear. I'm afraid I have to leave you in that intimately loveless void known as the friend zone."

Ryan couldn't keep up the over-dramatic game any longer, a small bubbling laugh managing to escape. "I missed you, you goofy old man."

"The feeling is mutual, young whipper snapper."

Lou pulled out his phone and sent a quick text, then returned his attention back to his young friend, "So almost four weeks travelling with professional wrestlers..."

"Yup. It's quite the circus."

"Is that all?" He gave her the suspicious eye when she simply nodded in reply. He was very good at reading people however, and the subtle press of her thighs together told him all he needed to know, "None of them having you thinking particularly wicked thoughts?"

"God damn it, Lou. You need to stop being so intuitive." Coming down to the gym while haunted by the remnants of one rather vivid, lusty dream had been a bad idea. All that well defined muscle on display, gleaming under a well deserved sheen of sweat...

_Stop it._

He laughed again as Ryan's cheeks started to take on a deeper hue of pink, "Oh he must really be something to get a reaction like that out of you, Ryan. I was starting to think you were a complete and utter ice queen on that particular front. In fact I don't recall one instance of you going on a date since you've been here. It's been how long? Two years or so now?"

"We're not going there... Beside this guy has about as much subtlety and nuance as a raging bull in a china shop," she retorted, "Certainly not shy in saying exactly what he wants, but I don't know if he's being serious or if he's just toying with the newbie."

"Give me an example."

"Well he showed up at my hotel room at almost two this morning, slightly on the inebriated side and called me tiny to which I answered that it wasn't true and he was just big. Really big. Stop laughing." She slapped at a huge, shaking shoulder as Lou tried to control himself, motioning for her to continue, "He answered by saying he'd be happy to show me just how big he was and that he would love to help me get over my... 'anxiety issues' as he put it. For Christ sake, Lou, stop bloody laughing."

"Definitely sounds like he wants to get into your pants."

Ryan jumped a little at a voice from behind as a second man coming to join them on the bench, his hand coming to rest casually on Lou's massive thigh.

"Damn it, Mike. Make a little sound next time!"

"Sorry, kitten, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Especially considering the topic of conversation."

"I guess the pro is I don't have to repeat myself then."

"Always a silver lining," Mike agreed. Patting Lou's leg both men stood up with Ryan following suit, "Now how about we find some lunch? Since you'll be away working when it gets here, Lou and I got you and early birthday present..."


	3. Chapter 3

The two days at home had been just what Ryan needed to decompress; she had barely gotten out of the soft, spacious Jedi bathrobe that Lou and Mike had given her for her birthday, knowing that she was a bit of a geek and especially for science fiction. There were bits and pieces all around the small apartment that attested to it with lot of her spare cash over the years disappearing for Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who paraphernalia. She was looking forward to going somewhere a little colder, simply so she had an excuse to wear the Star Trek TNG uniform hoodie that had made up the second part of her present.

Now here she was in Baltimore for 'Old School' Raw, watching Jon completely in character as Dean Ambrose do his little crazy, obsessive quirks around the ring while Roman Reigns took it to CM Punk; finally picking up the win after a slight distraction when Ambrose jumped up on the apron. They didn't get much time to celebrate once Jake 'The Snake' Roberts appeared leaving all three of them open for a sneak attack by the former champion and the New Age Outlaws that had come to the ring as his back-up. Again Dean was left as the sole man in the ring, eating a GTS for his troubles and ended up with a large yellow Burmese Python draped over his chest.

However it was a little hard to get that feeling of utter defeat as Jon lay there with a huge grin plastered over his face while pretending to be out cold. At that moment he was being a complete mark and didn't care who saw it, to him this was one of the best things to happen in his WWE career so far. In the brief moments when the camera crew were focused on the legend above him he cracked open an eye and looked straight at his favourite photographer for an instant just as she took the picture and hit her with that smirk again.

_Way to break kayfabe, Jon._

Eventually he rolled under the rope and trekked backstage, leaving the fan favourites to bask in the adulation of the masses and headed back to the locker room. After a short shower and a change of clothes Jon was ready to leave the arena but had to wait for his two team mates, so he took to his new favourite past time; finding Ryan and seeing what sort of reaction he could provoke out of her. He honestly didn't know what to make of her really, it was obvious he made her nervous but at the same time she hadn't really done anything to dissuade his pursuit either. It had just started off as a partial joke but something had shifted a few days a go when he discovered Castagnoli in her hotel room. It definitely wasn't love, relationships were certainly not his thing, but Jon would be damned if someone else beat him to the prize first. She was so quiet half the time that most people didn't know she was there, it made him wonder how she would sound once he got her to scream as he gave her the best fuck of her life...

After a few minutes of searching the halls he finally found his quarry in conversation with the other full-time photographer, each doing quick comparisons of the other's shots on the small screens of their cameras. He really had no interest in listening to whatever technical talk the two were going over as they critiqued the work of the other so he hung back, making sure he wasn't being conspicuous and drawing unwanted attention to himself. After a couple of minutes they seemed to agree on something and Eric left, leaving Ryan to finish packing up her gear before heading out for the night.

He was just about to move from his spot when someone else came into view and he scowled; Castagnoli. Being at the far end of the hall there was no way he'd reach the girl before the Swiss. By the smug smirk Claudio flashed his way before tapping her on the shoulder to announce his presence the other man knew it too. Jon watched them chat for a few minutes, Ryan looking decidedly happy to see him if her smile and overall relaxed posture was anything to go by. He appeared to have suggested something and she nodded in agreement, Claudio picking up her gear and slinging it over one of his shoulders and his own bag over the other before they started down the hallway. Cool blue eyes narrowed at the two retreating figures; just what was he up to?

* * *

"Are you sure you want to be a victim of my driving?"

"It can't be that bad."

"I dunno, for all you know I could be the epitome of the negative stereotypical woman driver."

He looked over at her to find the ghost of a smile trying to break through an otherwise neutral facade, "I'll take my chances."

Ryan popped the trunk on her rental then took her gear from Claudio, fitting the bag snugly into a corner where it wouldn't roll around and damage anything inside. Her luggage was already in there, having made the decision so simply drive the four hours to the next place for the house show after the Raw taping was finished. After a quick detour so he could pick up his gear and settle up his hotel expenses they set off. It was a little strange at first, she was so used to being on her own while driving with the stereo on high volume to keep silence at bay, but after a while she finally got comfortable enough with it that she didn't mind when he started an impromptu game of Twenty Questions.

"I have to ask, just where is your accent from? I've been trying to figure it out but you slip so many... Americanisms into it."

"God, it's getting that bad is it?" She shook her head a little at the revelation, "I'm going to have to take a trip back home at some point to get it back."

"Where's home?"

"Australia," she replied, "I was born in Perth but we were a pretty nomadic family and moved all over the place. The funny thing is before I even came here I'd have people constantly asking me if I was an American because I apparently had an accent, yet if I bought it up to my gamer mates all they thought I was having them on. At lest now I have an excuse."

"How long have you lived over here?"

"About... almost four years now." A bright flash of light played in the rear-view mirror and she switched lanes, not really in the mood to want to compete with late night truck drivers for the road especially since it had started to snow, "How about you?"

"Ten."

"Ever gone back home?"

"Of course, but not quite as often as I'd like. You?"

"Not yet, haven't been able to afford it. Such are the pros and cons of living internationally I guess. It's not all bad though, I get to live in Venice so there's always something to see or do. It's awesome."

"Venice Beach?"

"Mhm, right on The Boardwalk too. I could practically roll out of bed and end up in the water."

"You'll have to show me around next time we're in LA."

"Sure, it'll be great fun."

The conversation continued roughly in the same vein for a while; places they'd lived, what it was like growing up in two distinctly different countries, the awkward and amusing scenarios bred from cultural misunderstandings once they had moved to their adopted home and the funny quirks that only a foreigner could find amusing. It felt good to connect with someone else who understood it all, Ryan hadn't realised just how large that certain, peculiar sense of... aloneness had actually been until now.

Reaching the half way point of the journey was a gas station doubling as a diner and it seemed like the perfect excuse to pull over. Aside from needing petrol she wasn't overly experienced driving in such conditions and the amount of concentration needed was beginning to become taxing. Before getting out she reached for a jacket on the back seat behind him and Claudio became acutely aware of how close she was for that brief moment, his nostrils flaring a little as he picked up the fading traces of perfume. It was a pleasantly subtle scent and somehow the fact didn't surprise him.

They were hit with a brisk, chilly wind that stole the heavenly heat that had cocooned them within the confines of the car. Ryan pulled up the hood of her sweater she was already wearing under the jacket, trying not to instinctively hug herself while filling up the tank.

"Why does it have to be so bloody cold? _And_ windy?" she grumbled, more to herself than anything else. The wind abruptly became somewhat buffered and taking the knife like edge out of the icy cold, Claudio was standing about half a foot away using himself as a sort of blockade against the elements.

"Go inside, I'll finish up with this."

"You sure?"

His fingers brushed against hers as he took the hose from her hand and she wondered just how his were still warm. She had gone from comfortable to damn near turning into an popsicle almost as soon as she got out of the car. She got the hint and let him have it; if he wanted to prove that chivalry wasn't dead Ryan certainly wasn't going to object.

"You want me to order you anything?"

"Just a coffee."

When he came through the door a few moments later she had just ordered the two beverages. The waitress who had looked decidedly bored before they finally came in took the orders and paused a second as Ryan added the request of a toasted sandwich to go, then quickly disappeared while the pair wandered towards a booth in the far corner.

"Thanks for doing that, I can never get used to the snow."

"I never would have been able to guess. You looked so warm and happy out there."

"Smart arse."

"Maybe we could go back out there and make a snow man? Perhaps a pair of snow angels?"

She rolled her eyes but didn't stop the light smile of amusement and lightly swatted at him with a rolled up laminated menu that had been sitting on the table. "Not my fault I was raised under a blazing sun and not some half frozen ancestral home of Vikings."

"You're thinking of Sweden, not Switzerland," he corrected, "And at least our wildlife isn't trying to kill us at every turn."

"Damn, my geography is terrible," Ryan replied with a small face palm, "But if only that were true about the wildlife, it might weed out some of the more intellectually challenged among us. Half the reason people get bitten by snakes is because they're dumb enough to try and kill them with a shovel or something instead of just leaving it alone or calling a snake catcher."

The waitress returned with two deliciously hot cups, a thin trail of steam wafting enticingly from the dark caramel surface. A comfortable silence ensued for a couple of minutes, leaving each with their own thoughts for a while. He was mildly surprised just how relaxed and open Ryan was once he had gotten her talking, even though the conversation had stayed on relatively safe topics. Without any way of Jon suddenly interrupting like he had last time, Claudio was curious to see how far the rabbit hole could go. He suddenly thought of something that he hadn't considered yet, so it was probably a safe bet to find out before getting too invested.

"So... Is there anyone at waiting at home while you're with us on the road?"

She studied him for a moment, trying to read for something before replying with a somewhat nonchalant shrug, "Not for a long time. Only thing waiting for me to get home is a big old alley cat who's decided to adopt me as his free meal machine."

That was exactly the sort of thing he wanted to hear, there was a certain satisfaction knowing there wasn't someone else firmly in the picture. Now all he had to contend with in the way of obvious competition was Good. As blatantly confronting and blunt as the man was, he was one smooth operator when he decided he wanted something badly enough and certainly not someone to underestimate.

When they finished up she paid the bill, refusing to let him fork out what could be covered by the travel allowance she had managed to work into her employment deal. He suppressed an amused grin when she threw a reluctant, disgusted look at the weather outside before deciding on a move as he pulled the door open. Wrapping one of his large arms around her shoulders and keeping her close he made sure he was between Ryan and the wind. She shivered a little but he couldn't tell if it was because of him or the cold, before Ryan impulsively huddled a little closer for his warmth. He could start to see a definite appeal for long car rides in the middle of winter...


	4. Chapter 4

_Quick shout out to XGypsyJynx for pointing out to my derpy brain that Claudio is from Switzerland, not Sweden. Whoops. Don't ask how I managed to fumble that one, I'm not entirely sure myself, but at least all is corrected now!_

* * *

_Clever, sneaky bastard._

Four hours; how much of a head start did Claudio manage to get over him now? Jon had to give credit where it was due though, as much as he hated the idea, suggesting to Ryan that they share the ride from DC to the house show was a smooth move. Only god knows what sort of things they had talked about along the way, all of which he had no doubt that Castagnoli would somehow use to his advantage. The fact that she wasn't on edge around the Swiss as she was with him could only earn him even more brownie points. He paced back and forth a little before stopping to lean against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest while he thought over his options to level the playing field.

There was a sudden knock on his hotel room door and he opened it to find Joe waiting expectantly for him with Colby a few steps behind looking at something on his phone, each man carrying a bag. Doing a quick pat down of his pockets to double check he had what he needed Jon grabbed his own gear before pulling the door closed behind him and the three set off. The Shield had a signing to do and a photo session after that, so the sooner they could get it started the sooner he could be done with it and hopefully get in some time at a gym before the show. He didn't quite feel quite right until he managed to get in some way of working up a decent sweat before having to hit the ring somewhere during the day. The automatic doors for the entrance slid open and the boys walked over to a waiting SUV, Jon discovering his morning had just gotten marginally better as he walked around the far side passenger door since Lopez called shotgun and Joe took the seat behind him.

Ryan was leaning up against the back panel, boots scuffing through a light layer of freshly fallen snow while hugging herself tightly against the cold. As much as she hated it the chill was helping her reluctant brain to wake up since the late night drive had taken longer than she planned on and had eaten into precious sleep time. She bought up a hand to stifle a yawn then shook her head a little, making a mental note to find a Starbucks once she had the chance.

He smirked at her startled reaction as he leaned up against the side of the car in front of her, claiming Ryan's personal space as his own. He tilted his head a little when he noticed the flush of rosy pink that dusted the tip of her nose and cheeks, wondering just how long she had been standing out here for. It gave her a slight air of soft, vulnerable innocence that made him want to thoroughly corrupt and violate it.

"Morning, honey." He tapped the end of her nose with his finger, "Don't you look so adorably cute in a half frozen type of way."

"Not now, Jon," she grumbled, her nose scrunching up a little in annoyance, "It's too cold to put up with your crap."

He leaned in closer, warm breath tickling her ear, "I can think of a few ways to keep you warm."

There was a tapping sound on the glass behind them, Joe was already seated, leaning over and motioning for them to get in the car so they could get this show on the road. Jon opened the door with a little bow and wave of his hand he gestured for Ryan to get in first, though that predator like grin twisted whatever chivalry there was to be found. She hesitated but the desire to get out of the cold won out and climbed in.

"Nice ass."

Joe chuckled at the exasperated expression on Ryan's face as she rolled her eyes. Once she was settled he climbed in and closed the door, grinning like the Cheshire Cat as he slouched in his seat so there was little choice but to have his leg firmly pressed up against hers. Damn it, why did he have to be so deliciously warm?

"What?"

"Just listening to the jealous cry of all those fan girls again," he replied, "I mean here you are, sandwiched between Joe and me... How many unrequited fantasies are out there about something like that?"

"I am this close to getting you fitted for a shock collar," Ryan retorted, her thumb and forefinger barely a centimetre apart.

The remark did nothing to discourage him, in fact it only seemed to egg him on, "I'm game if you are."

Without thinking she covered his mouth with her palm just to get him to stop. He licked it in retaliation and she quickly jerked back only to wipe it on his pants, unable to ignore just how firm the muscles of his thigh was.

"That's it, baby. Reach a little higher."

With an irritated huff she snatched her hand back, opting for clasping them in her lap as she leaned back into the seat simply because she had no room to do anything else. As the SUV pulled out into traffic Ryan took a few slow, deep breaths and attempted to mentally shake it off; she was not going to let him get to her.

To distract herself form Jon's incorrigible presence she opted to replay parts of her trip with Claudio instead; he had made an otherwise dull trip an enjoyable experience. He had a certain relaxed calm about him that she found appealing and had been every inch the classic ideal of a European gentleman. His play at being a wind buffer was something she wouldn't mind getting used to either. Something made her curious though, mainly why he would care if she was single or not. Could he possibly be interested? In her? Did she even want to go down that particular path again? The last time hadn't exactly ended well.

Eventually they got to their destination, The Shield heading inside while Ryan retrieved a camera from the back of the car and followed shortly after. The whole thing was fairly standard an uneventful for the most part, the majority of the fans who had made it were young guys of roughly college age and a decent showing of teenage fan girls who had obviously decided that meeting the living, breathing epitome of their sexual fantasies was far more important than education. One of the older girls who didn't blatantly look like she was about to vault the table in an attempt to molest the trio said something to Joe about wanting to shake his hand but hers were too cold and it gave him pause for a second.

"Let's see if I can warm you up."

Ryan bit down on an amused smirk at the stunned reaction on her face when he took her hands in his, just holding them in his massive palms for a few moments before sending her along to Colby. The man definitely had game, no two ways about it, and the little scene was rather endearing. An hour and a half later they finished up and headed back to the SUV, ready to take the trip for the photo op. Ryan decided if there was any sort of deity at all they would take pity on her and make sure there was at least a small table set up with everything required to make a passable cup of tea or coffee.

Eric was already there, almost ready to start taking snaps of a list of talent he had been assigned to for the session. The boys went to change into their ring garb while Ryan set up then double checked her own assignments. Cameron and Naomi with Xavier Woods, Daniel Byan, Dolph Ziggler, Fandango and Summer Rae, Damien Sandow and a couple of the Total Divas cast. The dancing duo had gotten there early and were all ready to go, so the shoot got under way. The whole thing went smoothly, Ryan liked to give them a fair amount of latitude when it came to expressing how they think their character should come across as, working on the theory that no-one knew their roles better than the people who played them.

After working her way through her assignments, Ryan looked to see who she had left; Eva Marie and the Shield. Jon noticed she had stopped and was looking over at them, more specifically him, and smirked. She glanced away for a second, eyes coming to rest on the few wrestlers that Eric had yet to call on before giving him a little scheming one of her own...

"Trading us for the Usos wasn't very nice, you know."

When they had finally finished, Ryan was dawdling with packing up her gear while the others slowly filed out of the building. With the central heating making the place nice and toasty she was reluctant to leave it just yet and brave the elements outside. But the sooner she left the sooner she could be free of Jon and his confusing company.

"I did mention previously that I'd do it," she replied, "And it would be rude not to be a woman of my word."

"Maybe I should start making demands that I only want to have my pictures taken by you in the future."

Ryan absently waved him off as she packed up the last of her gear, all she wanted was to get back to her room and catch a nap for an hour or two, "Bite me."

It was the entirely wrong thing to say, Jon running his tongue over his teeth with a diabolical little grin. Moving silently he slid up behind her, his chest pressed up against her back and leaving her trapped between himself and the table. Immediately he felt that familiar tension; it was like a rabbit caught in the paralysing trap of a predator, she had no idea what to do. Jon's breath was warm against her skin as he tugged at the collar of her shirt, exposing where her shoulder met her neck. His teeth grazed across teasingly, enjoying the reactive shiver it evoked before clamping down firmly. It wasn't enough to hurt, he figured that would be counter productive, merely to prove exactly what his intentions were. His tongue lapped at the captive flesh before he sucked on it, entertained by the involuntary soft mewling noise she bit down on. It told him one of two things; either she had a man that had absolutely no clue what the hell he was doing or she had been flying solo for a while. He really didn't care which, it wouldn't stop him from trying to get what he wanted.

He left a soft, lingering kiss on the spot which he knew was going to darken and be there for days, finally stopping once he had her starting to squirm. She was carrying his mark now, something that seeded a deep sense of satisfaction in him, liking the fact that Ryan would be carrying a constant reminder every time she looked into a mirror for the rest of the week. Jon highly doubted that Castagnoli had the balls to do something similar. He took pleasure watching the rise and fall of her chest as Ryan struggled to bring her breathing back to normal, the sound he made an approving, gravelly purr.

"See you at the show tonight, princess."

His exit was swift and abrupt, leaving her very aware of the absence of his body heat. Just when she thought she could regain some control on the situation he goes and pulls a stunt like that. Why was it so easy for Jon to push all her buttons? It was going to be a long day...


	5. Chapter 5

_A hickey? Seriously? How old is he, twenty eight going on thirteen?_

Ryan probed at the deep purple mark on her shoulder as she stared at it in the small bathroom mirror. Annoyance, exasperation, confusion along with a few other feelings had inhabited her head at one time or another since he gave it to her. Where had her cloak of invisibility gone lately? She wasn't cut out for that sort of confronting attention and as a result she had been doing her best hiding from him whenever they were in the same building with mixed success. In retaliation Jon had taken to hunting her down in the halls like a cat does with a mouse, cornering and playing with her a little before letting her go, finding it a rather amusing addition to the evolving game.

The man was clearly trouble, that much was certain; brash, unpredictable, clearly all too aware of his own good looks and how to use them. The issue wasn't about whether or not to trust his motives, those were clear enough and he may as well just carry around a giant neon sign that declared _I want to fuck you_ whenever they interacted. It also wasn't a question of his ability to show a girl a good time between the sheets, his little stunt had sent her brain tumbling down the gutter and into the storm drain whether she wanted it to or not. God damn it, why did the whole ordeal have to be so... good.

The bottom line was as sinfully delicious as the experience would be, she didn't want to deal with whatever aftermath would follow as she was convinced it would. He wasn't a one woman type of guy and she wasn't a one night stand type of gal. Classic case of oil, water and the whole premise of the two not mixing. She would just have to be vigilant about what she said from now on if he was going to take her smart arse comments literally... and stop leaving him opportunities to get behind her yet again. It didn't matter if he had some of the best arms she had ever seen on a man, and living in Venice that was saying a lot, she was not going to be dictated to by her damnable hormones.

They were such wonderfully sculpted biceps however...

_God damn it, brain. Just stop it already. Please?_

Once done in the bathroom she dug through her luggage and finished getting dressed, then after one last check of the room to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind Ryan zipped up her suitcase and headed down to the lobby and check out. Her ride to the airport should be almost ready to go, if not waiting on her already. Just as she was almost done at the front desk a familiar figure leaned up against it next to her.

"If I didn't know any better I'd swear you were avoiding me."

Ryan chose not to look at him, instead focused on the paperwork that required her signature, "Whatever could have possibly given you that impression, Mister Good?"

He noted the edge of sarcasm and a crooked smile reached his eyes, "Do I have you running scared, honey?"

Jon noticed the pen in her hand falter for a half a second but to her credit didn't hesitate altogether. He was getting under her skin regardless of what she was telling either him or herself. When she was done Ryan slid the paperwork back to the receptionist, who had been blatantly giving Jon the ogling eyeball the entire time, and finally looked at him.

"This may come as a _huge_ shock, you incorrigible sex pest, but not every woman you come across is interested in throwing themselves at you and tearing off your pants."

He had to laugh at that, he'd never been called a sex pest before. "Maybe, but I know you were at least thinking about it." He leaned in closer, running a finger lightly over the spot where his mark was covered, "I can give you a matching pair if you want. You seemed like you enjoyed the first one a lot. When was the last time you actually got laid, anyway?"

He certainly didn't beat around the bush, that was for sure. She really didn't want to satisfy Jon with the answer or discuss her current lack of a sex life with him as a result and instead retorted with a question of her own, brushing his finger away in the process.

"Is there something you actually need, or are you simply here to get handsy and annoy the hell out of me again?"

Across the other side of the room Claudio stood with his tag team partner, Jake Hager and Nick Nemeth as they waited for the man who played manager for the Real Americans to show up. It was Nick who spotted the photographer first and gave his Swiss friend a nudge with his elbow to get the man's attention

"Don't look now, man, but Good is staring at your damsel like she's a hamburger. Might want to go rescue her before he decides to have lunch in the middle of the lobby."

He followed the gaze of his friend towards the front desk and frowned, despite her best effort he could tell she wasn't entirely comfortable being around the walking definition of cocky, swaggering arrogance. Without needing any further encouragement from either of his two friends he strode across the floor to where the pair stood, stopping a couple of feet away and cleared his throat. The reaction to his presence couldn't have been any more an example of polar opposites if they tried; Ryan smiled, Jon looked as if he wanted to bury him in some unmarked grave in the middle of nowhere.

Ryan would freely admit it if someone asked her right now, Claudio looked good. Dressed in charcoal grey pants and woollen jumper under a heavy, mid length black overcoat with a black flat cap fitted snugly on his head. All of it was very form fitting, almost as if it had been tailor made for his frame. To top it all off he was completely unphased by the glare that Jon was nailing him with and would probably set him on fire if force of will could truly be made manifest. In fact it was like the other man wasn't even there to begin with.

"Are you all set?"

"Ready whenever you are."

"Then your chariot awaits, Miss Monroe."

It took Jon a second to register what had just happened as he was left standing there by himself; Castagnoli had done it again. The suave bastard. The quiet but obvious shift in his attitude was enough to scare off the young receptionist who suddenly became very interested in doing her job down the opposite end of the counter. How in the hell was he losing at this? To the world at large he was Dean fucking Ambrose, chicks everywhere went absolutely crazy for him. The idea of her reluctance irked him for some reason; he _never_ put this much effort into chasing someone, mainly because he didn't have to. With the amount of women who were more than willing to have a good time with him, Jon could pick and choose whoever he liked. Maybe it was the simple fact that she wasn't fawning all over him on sight was what had stirred his interest.

He straightened up and headed towards his two team mates who were merging from the nearby elevator, his mind already going over several possible angles to get the game back in his favour. This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot...

* * *

Jon slowly rolled his neck to try and work some of the post match aches and pains while trying to keep a lid on his current frustrations. Again management had him taking the short end of the stick and being the one to be pinned as they continued to build up the hype around Joe. He didn't begrudge his friend the recent push and he knew stables were never a permanent thing in this business, but at the same time he was getting sick of the way they were doing it at his own expense. Christ, he really hoped he and Colby could avoid falling into mid card obscurity while they moved Joe to what was apparently bigger and better things.

Pushing open the locker room door greeted him with his second major source of annoyance, Claudio having stepped out of the shower mere minutes before Jon had arrived. A tiny voice in the back of his mind claiming to be his rationality was attempting to convince him to simply cut his loses and find someone else to have his obligation free fun with. But for whatever reason he just couldn't, the thrill of the hunt and anticipation of victory was too much to ignore as he imagined his prey finally pinned firmly beneath him.

"Something bothering you, Good?"

The question sounded innocent enough, though it was anything but. It was clear by now that Ryan preferred the calm company of the Swiss over his own more unpredictable nature and both men knew it. Jon opened up his mouth to fire back a retort when something better came to mind. His annoyed scowl dissolved into a devious smirk.

"No," he replied with an air of nonchalance, "Just recalling how sweet that little photographer tasted like the other day."

Claudio suddenly stopped for a second, a shirt pulled part way down his chest, the hesitation giving Jon a measure of smug satisfaction. It told him everything he needed to know; for all the time they had spent together Castagnoli was yet to make an actual move on the girl. Oh, how that suddenly turned his whole mood around. Unable and unwilling to simply leave it at that the US champion went with his desire to twist the knife a little deeper. Crossing over to a bench he began pulling off his boots as he decided to exaggerate his little impromptu story.

"Man, you just have no idea," he continued, placing the footwear to one side and peeled off his shirt, "So soft and warm where she needs to be, smooth and firm for the rest..." A low whistle of appreciation filled the near empty room the two had to themselves, "And the way she squirmed while making the cutest needy noise-"

He stopped suddenly when Claudio jerked his bag closed with barely controlled aggravation before quickly regaining control of himself; clearly Good was just being antagonistic.

"You expect me to believe that?"

He shrugged, "What you believe or not is your business," Jon answered as he slung his towel around his neck and headed for the showers, calling out over his shoulder along the way, "You could always ask who gave her the mark on her shoulder if you really want to know."

A minute later he heard the door close harder than it should have while the hot water eased the edge off the aches all over his body. He snickered to himself as he held two fingers up at the general area of the locker room and pulled a make believe trigger.

_Shots fired_.

* * *

_If this seems shorter and more lack-luster than usual I apologise, I've been dealing with the worst case of writer's block that still hasn't quite decided to bugger off yet and just really needed to get SOMETHING moving, lest it stall altogether. Not just for this, but everything I currently have on the go. So while I usually refrain from encouraging/begging for reviews, in this case constructive feedback will be very much appreciated even more than usual... which is quite a lot, I assure you. Then go spread the love to my other stories, they need your help too!_


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